Experience the West Coast

Lambert’s Bay is a true West Coast town – filled with lots of heart, a close caring community and lively personalities.

What to do during your stay

Every season offers something unique to visitors to this fishing village. And the town opens its arms to welcome any kind of traveller, from the beach goer and the biker, to the flower lover and the fisherman.

It’s approximately a three-hour drive from Cape Town to Lambert’s Bay, along the beautiful West Coast. Here there are incredible sights to see and spots to visit along the way. Lambert’s Bay is also a stopover option for those travelling to Namibia.

Swim & surf

Lambert’s Bay is a wonderful summer destination, with a safe swimming beach where bathers can soak up the sun and cool down in the ocean. There are also a number of spots to enjoy rock pools – either for a quick dip or to look for sea creatures. And there’s a small tidal pool for those looking to avoid the waves.

There are also seven surfing spots in and close to Lambert’s Bay. Close to the caravan park, surfers can make the most of an exposed river break with fairly reliable surf. South of Lambert’s Bay look out for any one of a number of surfing opportunities, including a rocky shelf that also produces ideal surfing waves in the right conditions.

The town of Elands Bay, about a 30-minute drive from Lambert’s Bay, offers some of the best surfing spots along the West Coast.

Bird watch

Lambert’s Bay is home to Bird Island, one of the best spots to see the blue-eyed Cape Gannet. This island is a CapeNature reserve, where the Endangered Cape Gannet lives and breeds. There is a fairly stable population of around 18 000 birds here – making this a very special birding destination. In fact, at the start of 2022, BirdLife South Africa announced that the Cape Gannet was their ‘Bird of the Year’ – in an attempt to raise awareness of the challenges these birds face.

Aside from Cape Gannets, birdwatchers can also keep an eye out for a small population of African Penguins, some terns, as well as the four marine cormorants, which breed on the island.

To the north of the town is a special wetland known as Jakkalsvlei. This is a great spot to see Greater and Lesser Flamingo, Cape and Red-billed Teals, Swift Terns, Cape Shoveler and a selection of gulls.

Also look out for Pale Chanting Goshawks and a number of LBJs (little brown jobs) on the walk down to the wetlands. On the Strandveld vegetation just outside of town, you could see Karoo and Clapper Lark, warblers such as the Rufous-eared Warbler and cisticolas.

Flower watch

The West Coast is a renowned flower-watching destination during springtime, and a stop off at Lambert’s Bay during a spring West Coast tour is well worth it. From August to October – depending on the amount of rain we’ve had and the day temperatures – our Lambert’s Bay Strandveld vegetation comes alive.

Here you’ll be able to see an array of lovely Lachenalias, Nemesias, Babianas and Sparaxis. Even along the roads, a variety of daisies cover the landscapes. And the pretty Arum lilies are a regular feature. Colourful ‘vygies’, members of the Lampranthus, Ruschia and Cheiridopsis families, also spring to life at this time. Brilliant reds, purples and yellows can take the breath away – including the Lampranthus aureus and the Cheiridopsis rostrata.

In fact, the around three-hour drive from Cape Town, along the coast – which includes a trip through the West Coast National Park – up to Lambert’s Bay is a flower-watching spectacle in spring, and well worth the trip.

Here’s a hint: From Lambert’s Bay, you can head inland towards the town of Nieuwoudtville – the bulb capital of the world, and another spring destination not to be missed.

Recreational fishing

The West Coast is well known as a fishing destination. In fact, Lambert’s Bay is historically a fishing village and today fishing is still one of the main economic drivers here. The coastline offers many secret spots for those looking to enjoy a weekend of fishing. Anglers here are most likely to catch Snoek, although Cape yellowtail is also a possibility.

Walk

Take your furry friend for a walk along the beach. There are lovely opportunities to wander over the rocks from your accommodation units at Stay Lambert’s Bay. A stroll to the edge of town, all along the ocean, will give you a chance to enjoy all the sea life and plant life here.

If you’re after a walk along the beach, then there are places to stroll with your feet in the sand, with the crashing ocean to your side. Keep your eyes open for Cape Gannets heading off to find food as they fly just off the coastline. For an easier evening stroll, you can even walk on the pavement on the street, just beside the ocean.

For those seeking more challenging walks and hikes, speak to our team for ideas, or visit our local tourism office.

Golf

The nine-hole Lambert’s Bay golf course is situated in a nature reserve, just outside the town. Aside from golfing, you can also enjoy game-viewing while on the course. The golf course offers excellent facilities, and is well known for its fairway. Visitors are welcome.

Eat & drink

Lambert’s Bay offers a wide selection of restaurants, with tasty meal options – many meals fresh from the ocean. Favourite restaurants here include Isabellas, which is beside the harbour. Roestyd is a favourite with the locals, with an impressive menu. It is also situated close to the harbour. Both are within walking distance of Stay Lambert’s Bay.

About 4kms outside Lambert’s Bay is the famous Muisbosskerm Open Air Restaurant. This venue opens for tour groups and on select days, so please confirm they are serving on the day you intend to visit.

Bosduifklip Restaurant is also around 4kms outside of the town on the R364. The setting among the incredible rock formations certainly makes this restaurant unique – and a must visit for nature lovers.

There are also quaint coffee shops close to Stay Lambert’s Bay. Alle Dingen Café not only serves a wide variety of meals alongside their coffee, but also has a wonderful gift shop. This shop is only around 50m from our accommodation.

Mad Hatter Coffee Shop also offers dine-in or take-away options among its crafts and gifts.

Culture & history

Experience the rich history of the area by visiting the Sandveld Museum, including a gunboat exhibition. This museum showcases the natural and cultural history of our incredible district. It takes you back in time to what Lambert’s Bay looked like in past decades and centuries. The fishing industry – a foundation on which the town was built – features prominently here, as does our interesting agricultural history.

The museum also hosts the HMS Sybille Gunboat Exhibition, telling the story of the ship that ran aground in 1901 close to Lambert’s Bay. The ship had been sent to our town to patrol the area during the Anglo Boer War of 1899 – 1902. Divers uncovered the propeller of the ship in 1999 and added it to a number of artefacts also found. And enjoy the tortoises in the Sandveld Museum’s garden, including the huge Mountain Tortoises.

Lambert’s Bay is home to a number of incredibly talented artists. These creatives showcase their work in various shops, in what has become our informal art route – certainly a worthwhile wander through town. At the end of September, the town hosts an art show.

Towns and spots to visit close by

If you’re heading from Cape Town, the route to Lambert’s Bay is filled with places to stop and natural wonders to enjoy. The West Coast route is a sight to behold during springtime, as the renosterveld vegetation comes alive at this time of year. Take a drive through the West Coast National Park just off the R27 during your trip. Langebaan, Paternoster and St Helena Bay all offer truly West Coast experiences.

Through the town of Velddrift you’ll come to the Rocherpan Nature Reserve, a CapeNature reserve on an important bird wetland. Elands Bay is around 30 minutes from Lambert’s Bay. This town is close to the majestic Verlorenvlei – an incredible wetland and river that takes the breath away. The town itself is also known as the Jeffrey’s Bay of the West Coast for surfers. The route past Elands Bay to Lambert’s Bay includes wonderful stops, including Vensterklip Restaurant. The town of Leipoldtville is only around 20 minutes from Lambert’s Bay. From here you can enjoy stops along the R365 at Sandveld Blueberries and Bettie Bok Bokstal – where you can experience goat’s cheese tastings.